Students will recognize coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters) and dollar bills as money and understand that money is used to buy things.

At the Pre-K level, money education focuses on:
- Recognition: Identifying coins and bills
- Function: Understanding money is used for buying
- Vocabulary: Learning money-related words

NOT taught at Pre-K:
- Counting money
- Coin values
- Making change
- Adding amounts

Money is Special

Money is different from other objects:
- It's used to buy things
- Stores accept it for goods
- Different coins and bills exist
- It has value (though Pre-K students don't learn specific values)

Types of Money

Coins (metal, round money):
- Penny (copper/bronze colored, small)
- Nickel (silver colored, medium)
- Dime (silver colored, smallest)
- Quarter (silver colored, largest common coin)

Bills (paper money):
- One dollar, five dollars, ten dollars, etc.
- Green, rectangular, paper/cloth material
- Have pictures and numbers

Money is for Buying

Pre-K children learn:
- Stores have things to buy
- You give money to buy something
- You receive items in exchange
- Different things cost different amounts (concept only)

Vocabulary Development

Money: What we use to buy things
Coin: Round metal money
Bill/Dollar: Paper money
Buy/Purchase: Get something with money
Store/Shop: Place where we buy things
Cost/Price: How much something costs
Penny, nickel, dime, quarter: Names of coins

Money recognition helps children:
- Understand exchange and value
- Participate in pretend play (store, restaurant)
- Prepare for real-world transactions
- Develop early financial literacy
- Connect math to daily life

Show Real Money

When possible and safe:
- Show actual coins
- Pass them around (with supervision)
- Let children hold and examine them
- Point out features (size, color, pictures)

Use Toy Money

For play and practice:
- Provide realistic play coins and bills
- Set up class store or restaurant
- Practice "buying" and "selling"
- Count toy money (for fun, not value)

Read Books About Money

Many children's books feature:
- Shopping trips
- Earning money
- Spending and saving
- Different coins and bills

Dramatic Play

Set up:
- Pretend store with items and toy cash register
- Restaurant with menus and money
- Bank with play money
- Encourage buying and selling play

Coin Sorting

• Mix coins together
• Sort into groups: "All pennies here, all quarters there"
• Focus on appearance, not value

Coin Matching

• Provide coin cards or pictures
• Match real coins to pictures
• Name each type

Money Hunt

• Hide toy coins around room
• Children find them and identify
• "I found a penny!" "I found a quarter!"

Store Play

• Set up class store
• Children take turns as customer and cashier
• "Customer" gives money, receives item
• Practice using money vocabulary

• Observe parents paying at stores
• See coins in piggy banks
• Notice vending machines need coins
• Watch money exchange at class book fair
• Collect coins for charity

Bigger coin = worth more
Children may think a nickel is worth more than a dime because it's larger.

Solution at Pre-K: Don't teach values yet. Just focus on names and recognition.

All round metal objects are coins
Buttons, tokens, etc. might be confused with money.

Solution: Show differences. "This is a button. It's not money. This is a quarter. It IS money."

Money is unlimited
Children may not understand money is finite.

Solution: Explain simply: "We have some money. When we spend it, it's gone. Then we have to get more."

Mastery indicators:
- Recognizes coins as money
- Recognizes bills as money
- Can name penny, nickel, dime, quarter (with some accuracy)
- Knows money is used for buying
- Participates appropriately in money play
- Uses money vocabulary in conversation

Support:
- Focus on one or two coin types initially (penny and quarter)
- Use large, realistic toy coins
- Provide frequent review and practice
- Use pictures alongside real coins
- Model money use in play repeatedly

Extension:
- Learn all four common coin names
- Identify bills (one dollar, five dollar)
- Begin understanding relative values ("A quarter buys more than a penny")
- Sort coins by type independently
- Count coins (quantity, not value)
- Create pretend prices for store items

Families can support:
- Let children examine coins at home (with supervision)
- Point out money use when shopping
- Provide piggy bank for collecting coins
- Play store at home
- Read books about money
- Let children hand money to cashier (with parent supervision)
- Name coins when encountered: "That's a penny"

Choking Hazard: Coins are small
- Supervise closely
- Use with children who don't mouth objects
- Consider larger toy coins for safety
- Never leave small coins unattended with very young children

Hygiene: Coins are handled by many people
- Wash hands after handling
- Clean coins before and after use
- Consider using play money primarily

• Real coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) - supervised use
• Toy coins and bills
• Cash register (toy)
• Items for pretend store
• Pictures of coins and bills
• Books about money
• Purse or wallet (toy)

Money connects to:
- Counting: Counting coins (quantity, not value)
- Sorting: Organizing by coin type
- Patterns: Noticing coin designs
- Comparison: Big vs. small coins
- Later math: Eventually, adding money and calculating change

Money connects to:
- Community helpers (store clerks, bankers)
- Economic concepts (needs vs. wants)
- Work and earning
- Historical figures (on coins and bills)
- Government (who makes money)

• Different countries use different money
• Coins and bills look different around the world
• All cultures have systems of trade and exchange
• Some cultures use different denominations

This Pre-K introduction prepares for:
- Kindergarten: Identify and compare coins
- Grade 1: Count coins and bills
- Grade 2: Add and subtract money
- Grade 3: Solve money word problems

Early money recognition is the first step in:
- Understanding value and exchange
- Developing budgeting concepts (later)
- Learning to save and spend wisely (later)
- Participating in economic life

Remember for Pre-K:
- Recognition, not calculation
- Names, not values
- Function (buying), not complex economics
- Concrete experiences, not abstract concepts
- Play-based learning, not worksheets

The goal is familiarity and comfort, not mastery of money math!